licensed opticians in Memphis

[stephanie]

I am still considering moving to Memphis. I have gone on salary.com and have found the salary to be comparable to where I am. I was hoping for more than this. Also I can find absolutely no ads wanting LDO. In fact I have found this to be true on almost every site I have gone on to locate job opportunities. Do most places besides the job board and 20/20 vision source not place ads looking for help? Even in the papers I have found that there is almost nothing and usually they are looking for a receptionist. I felt surely the big cities like Memphis would need LDOs. What should I do? Desperately trying to leave this area, suffocating terribly!!!


Steph

[Alan W]

Stephanie
I looked at Salary.com and fell on the floor laughing about salary levels in Houston. If every optician in Houston made the money it says, there would be a parade down main street. It's off about eight to ten thousand dollars a year or the sampling was of two opticians, both of them owners. Check with the department of employment for more accurate answers to that question. They are required by law to disclose figures based on the last census as well as job offer postings.

If the outlook for jobs and dollar figs is depresing and you are running out of air, it's a case of welcome to the real world. And, that is NOT intended to be a put down, believe me. There is a hidden market for jobs as an optician. In order to access that market you need to be prepared to be or do some of the following:
1, Seek out jobs which have a pathway towards management. You may not like the company, though. And, entry level pay is an insult. You will not use 80% of what you know. But, there is a pathway to management. Be careful . . . be very careful of discount and price chains. Work only with companies where the field managers have a good track record. You need to do a lot of researh here.
2, Be sure of the management you will work for. Since 1984 I have been in the Southern States . . . management above store level is very much a good ol boys club and is made up of a lot of politics. Frequent management changes in slow markets are bad news.
3, Look for growing markets and move there. Be mobile and go where opportunity is.
4, Seek employment with small, very professional optical businesses where you work with older management seeking successors. Be willing to work your tail off, and accept less than perfect supervisory skills from a boss for a while. Doctors are also good examples. Find a small office where you will be everything and hang in there for awhile.
5, Reeducate yourself in higher skill levels that are used in optometric and ophthalmology offices. Just don't sell and make glasses. I & R contact lens jobs go noplace.
6, Look very seriously at being a rep for a manufacturer, and accept the tough road ahead. But, you do have a much better opportunity for higher income. Use your optical skills that way. It never rains on a rep who trains!

Pick up a phone book and call every eye doctor and optical in town. Chat with the hiring manager/owner. Ask if there are openings, if none, ask for who they know who might have openings (network), then offer to personally drop off a copy of your resume even if there re no openings, join local optical/womens professional orgs and network.
Have 3 kinds of resumes:
a, by history
b, by sales orientation
c, by technical orientation
The purpose of a resume is no longer what it used to be. It has to be written to appeal to the hiring manager. It is not the cut and dry documentation of your past it used to be.

Hand out the resume that the hiring manager is into after you find out what they look for in a new employee. Some want experience, some want versatility, some don't.

I am speaking as a hiring manager and have been one for a while. But, I am not the final word. Please understand that it is as important that you systemize a job search as it is the job itself.

Last but definitely NOT least . . .
Know your reps! No one knows who is looking for help more than a rep. Get their phone number and contact them privately. Be sure they have seen your resume. Be discreet about it and only talk to a rep you know well and trust. On the other hand . . . find out the reps where you want to work. Contact them through the manufacturer, and be known.

[stephanie]

Thanks Alan...I am doing my research!!! Oh I know exactly what you mean about salary.com. Way way off base...the salary for the town I live in would be fabulous if it existed. I am not really sure what optician is making this in this town but it certainly is NOT me I have been thinking about being a sales rep. I have actually been thinking and considering a lot of things. I will do more research and decide from there. First and foremost I have GOT to sell this house!!! My real estate agent is on the verge of being fired!! I want to go where the action and money are. Of course according to salary.com it is where I am!! LOL!!! I have been contacting several businesses to find out what they need and what they are offering. I am not opposed to working for a chain so long as I don't have to sell my soul. Would rather starve.
Thanks for the input I will use the information wisely!!
Steph